Waltraud Meier
Waltraud Meier (born 9 January 1956) is a German opera singer who performed both dramatic soprano and mezzo-soprano roles. She is best known for Wagner parts such as Kundry, Isolde, Ortrud, Venus, Fricka, and Sieglinde, but she also sang French and Italian roles like Eboli, Amneris, Carmen, and Santuzza. She lives in Munich.
Meier grew up in Würzburg and sang in choral groups as a child. She studied English and Romance languages and took voice lessons with Dietger Jacob. In 1976 she started her stage career at the Würzburg Opera as Lola in Cavalleria Rusticana, then worked in Mannheim. Her international break came after she sang Kundry in Parsifal at the Bayreuth Festival in 1983. She then appeared at major opera houses around the world, including Covent Garden, the Metropolitan Opera, La Scala, the Paris Opéra, the Vienna State Opera, and the Bavarian State Opera, and she performed often at Bayreuth.
In the 1990s she moved into more dramatic soprano roles, singing Leonore in Fidelio and Ortrud, and she performed Sieglinde at Bayreuth in 2000. Her Met debut as Kundry came in 1992. She won praise for her performances, and in 2003 she shared a Grammy for Best Opera Recording as Venus in Tannhäuser conducted by Daniel Barenboim. She also gave many recitals and concert performances.
Meier received several honors, including the title Kammersängerin from the Bavarian State Opera and the Vienna State Opera, and she was made Commandeur of the French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.
Waltraud Meier retired from the stage in 2023, with her final performance on 20 October 2023 at the Berlin State Opera as Klytämnestra in Elektra.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 15:23 (CET).